Conversations with Dr. Jennifer

Learning that your spouse has been keeping important truths from you is extraordinarily disruptive. It can be difficult for couples to know how to navigate forward in the aftermath of a disclosure or discovery of this type of deception. During this Q&A session, Dr. Finlayson-Fife addressed questions from her audience on the topic of intimate deception (including emotional or physical infidelity, pornography use, financial deception, etc.). If you are interested in learning more about this topic, consider purchasing Dr. Finlayson-Fife's newest mini-course Understanding Intimate Deception.

In this new episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins Heidi Benjaminson of the Confidence Coaching podcast to discuss mind mapping in parent-child relationships. They explore what our kids are mapping about us, how these mapped messages influence their perceptions and behaviors, and what we can do if course correction is needed.

During this Q&A discussion, Dr. Jennifer discusses the complexities of men's sexuality, particularly within the context of LDS cultural dynamics. The discussion, driven by questions submitted by our Facebook Group members, highlights the pressures and expectations men face, the importance of seeing men's sexuality as a positive force rather than a problematic one, and how couples can create real intimacy in their marriages.

In this NEW episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife takes questions from her Facebook Group members on the nuanced and delicate topic of loss of attraction in marriage. In the discussion, Dr. Finlayson-Fife discusses how habituation, boredom, and resentment can undermine attraction, and how gratitude, appreciation, and novelty can foster it.

In this conversation, Dr. Jennifer Finlayson-Fife joins Dr. Julie Hanks to discuss her dissertation research, the ways that church culture has shaped women's sexuality, and how women can create a healthier relationship with desire, embodiment, and sexuality.

In this NEW episode of Navigating the Spectrum, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins Michelle Portlock to discuss her personal experience with parenting a neurodivergent child. The discussion covers the importance of compassion (for yourself, your spouse, your child, and your circumstances), and thoughts about how parents can work together to reduce anxiety / stress, improve communication, and foster a nurturing, supportive relationship with each other and their child(ren).

In this NEW episode, Dr. Finlayson-Finlayson-Fife uses questions from her Facebook Group members to drive an important discussion about emotional infidelity. During the conversation, Dr. Finlayson-Fife explains why emotional affairs are so compelling, the impact they have on relationships, and how those who have experienced emotional infidelity can navigate forward wisely.

In this NEW episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife discusses with Crystal (@theparenting coach) how parents can help their children navigate the complicated online world. She discusses the key to empowering teens to make wise decisions lies in facilitating our children’s self-authoring – of thinking about the lives they want to create and assessing whether their actions are in line with the person they hope to become.

In this powerful discussion, Dr. Finlayson-Fife teases out the difference between regret, resentment, and remorse and offers clarity on what these unpleasant emotions can teach us about ourselves and the way we are showing up in our lives and relationships.

In this NEW conversation with Crystal of The Parenting Coach Podcast, Dr. Finlayson-Fife discusses how we can create healthier, more collaborative partnerships even when our partner is not invested in creating positive change.

TJ and Ashley’s story is a familiar one for many. Their marriage started out happily enough. They were young college students and enjoyed each other a lot during their first few years together. But things changed when TJ started graduate school during an economic downturn. TJ felt a tremendous amount of anxiety about his financial future, given the dim prospects for most students at the time. Competition was fierce and in TJ’s determination to ensure his family’s economic stability, he dedicated himself to his studies, leaving little time or emotional bandwidth for anything else, including Ashley.

In this NEW episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins Amber Brueseke of Biceps After Babies Radio to discuss the important role that self-honesty and self-definition play in our relationship to our bodies as well as in our emotional, spiritual, and relational development.

In this NEW episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife takes questions from her audience about desire dynamics and the unique challenges faced by both the higher-desire spouse and the lower-desire spouse. In the discussion Dr. Finlayson-Fife discusses how couples can work together to create a more collaborative dynamic and what to do if only one spouse is interested in addressing the desire discrepancy.

Recently, I joined Tammy Hill of the Live Your Why Podcast to discuss the meanings that keep many of us from fully experiencing the joy of our sexuality and what we can do to shift these common, but problematic meaning frames and create something better.

Facing acute loss is a harrowing and sobering experience, in part because it wakes us up to just how little control we have in our lives and over our circumstances. But finding the courage to keep moving forward, even when the path is riddled with uncertainty, is a beautiful form of faith. When we take the disappointment and loss that life hands us and use it to become more kind and compassionate people, we increase our capacity to deeply cherish the good around us. This NEW episode is the audio from a Q&A session that Dr. Finlayson-Fife hosted on the topic of loss and grief. During the conversation, Dr. Finlayson-Fife took questions about all different types of losses including miscarriage, death, disappointment, broken marriages, and frustrated expectations.

In this episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins Tammy Hill of the Live Your Why Podcast for a discussion on men’s sexuality and how our cultural messaging about masculinity has impacted men’s ability to come to peace with their sexuality.

Conflict is a natural outgrowth of two people trying to forge a life together and it presents a remarkable opportunity for growth if we allow it. When we disagree with our spouse, we often go to behaviors that lead to hurt and frustration rather than making a concerted effort to engage often counter-intuitive, but more productive and collaborative responses. In this episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife joins relationship coach Anne Nelson to discuss how relationships can grow and flourish, even in the face of conflict and difference.

Feeling united in marriage is a big deal, and when your worldview has too little overlap with your spouse’s, it can create a sense of loneliness and even despair. The temptation in this scenario is to try to convince your spouse to see things the “right” way (i.e. your way!). But, when we do this, we set ourselves up for a lifelong power struggle and a relationship unlikely to find common ground. On the other hand, earnestly seeking to understand your spouse’s point of view–how they see the world and why it makes sense to them–is an essential practice. Rather than demand validation of your own beliefs, seeking first to genuinely understand is a powerful skill. It opens both partners up to deeper understanding of each other and even if there isn’t “agreement” there is at a minimum more ability to work more collaboratively with differing views. I recently joined Elisa Fucci of the Elisa Fucci Show to discuss how couples can navigate their differences with wisdom and maturity, and how doing so can lead to not only finding common ground in a mixed-faith marriage, but finding higher ground.

Several weeks ago, Dr. Finlayson-Fife invited Thomas McConkie to join her and Room for Two annual subscribers for an interactive discussion about embodiment, vulnerability, and the power of mindfulness. This week, we are publishing the recording of this rich and meaningful conversation for ALL to enjoy.

In this NEW podcast episode, Sherrae Phelps interviews Dr. Finlayson-Fife about her unique approach to coaching and what sets this approach apart from others. Throughout the episode, Dr. Finlayson-Fife breaks down many of the phrases and concepts that are central to differentiation theory and her work, and goes on to discuss why these concepts are so powerful and effective for those looking to grow in their capacity to love.